Lesser Prince (Guardians of Gaeland Book 1)

by Jamie McFarlane

  “Who will stand with me?” Qulork asked.

  In the end, only one demon stood with him. The others fled to the south where the summoning crystal would allow them to return to their home. Qulork and his apprentice fled to the northeast over the mountain range.

  ***

  It had taken Sam an hour to finally discover where Filbert had landed. The little dragon had been knocked out and torn a wing. Its recovery became a focus for the elven children who’d returned to the Glade. They needed a diversion from the devastation the demons had wrought. Tig was awed at how the community of elves cared so deeply for each other.

  Glavious arrived two days after the battle and pitched in with a generous spirit. He volunteered for the night-watch and found an easy camaraderie with the elves. His name was known and well-respected in the area.

  “You’re one of us, you know?” Elder Triest had slipped in next to Tig as they stood around a community fire.

  “Thank you, that means a lot,” he replied.

  “You’re hearing my words, but not understanding. Your mother is one of us, Tigerious. Celia is from the Glade, she is Marmy’s sister.”

  “I never knew my mother,” Tig said wistfully.

  “Oh? It seems to me that you knew her very well. You came back to us, after all.” Triest appeared to be withholding something, but Tig knew she would share whatever it was in her own time, if at all.

  Tig didn’t reply, but enjoyed the warmth of the fire and the knowledge that he’d found the family he hadn’t known he’d lost.

  “What will you do now?” Triest asked.

  “Sam thinks he knows how to get us back to West Virginia,” Tig replied.

  “Will you go?”

  “My father needs me. I’m hoping The Crux will let us return.”

  “I believe you know the answer to that,” she replied.

  “I do.”

  ***

  Two weeks later, they finally stepped through the portal into West Virginia. Sam’s research had not turned up any clues on how to restore a portal, but in the end Tig convinced his two friends to take a leap of faith. He believed that Faerie would allow them to cross back through the portal in reverse if the need was great enough.

  “So let me get this right. You think we can just go back because … yeah, I’m fuzzy on the rest,” Amber chided.

  “Because it's the right thing. We were brought here to stop the Kaelstan invasion, which we did. There is no one left to summon demons into Gaeland. Not only that but Faerie knows I’m coming back. This is my home, Gaeland needs me. I’m only returning to West Virginia to heal my father.”

  Finding the location where they’d exited the portal had been a simple matter, as the broken pickup truck was still sitting in the field where it had landed, its wheels popped and windshield broken.

  Just before they stepped across the threshold, Kestra stepped into the clearing.

  “Would you allow me to cross with you?” she asked. They’d lost track of her in the chaos after the demons had fled.

  “You want to go back to West Virginia?” Tig asked. It seemed to him that the woman was better suited to life in Gaeland than back home.

  “I have unfinished business,” she said.

  “I haven’t had a chance to thank you for what you did for us,” Tig said.

  Kestra smiled but said nothing.

  “I’m not sure if this is going to work, but you’re more than welcome to come along. I think it’s best if we hold hands,” Tig said.

  And this is how they arrived back in West Virginia, holding hands as they stepped across the threshold and back onto the stone platform that Finias Blackhall had built. It had been daylight in Gaeland when they crossed through, but was pitch black in West Virginia. Light streamed from the portal onto the platform and they all had to blink away the day-blindness caused by the quick shift in light.

  “I’ve had a long time to consider what I might say to you if this day were to come and I have but one question,” Tig heard Naminee’s familiar voice say to him as she stepped into the light.

  Tig ran forward and wrapped his arms around her. She warmly returned his hug.

  When he’d finally had enough, Tig pulled back and asked, “You had a question?”

  “I do. My question is: what do you have against pickup trucks?” she asked sincerely.

  Tig looked confused for a moment and then glanced back through the portal. It took him a moment to realize that the only view of Gaeland Naminee had was the wrecked truck. He barked a laugh, “It wasn’t my fault!”

  “My mom,” Sam asked, “Do you know where she is?”

  Naminee turned to Amber and Sam. “She and your father are back at the castle. They will be relieved to see you. I will make a call.” She pulled out a cell phone and dialed. After a short conversation, she handed the phone to Amber. “I believe someone would like to speak with you.” Amber grabbed the phone and excitedly talked with her mother.

  Naminee looked at Kestra, “What is your role in this?” she asked evenly, with only a trace of threat.

  Before Kestra could answer, Tig stepped in, “This is Kestra and she’s a friend, Naminee. She saved us on three separate occasions.”

  Naminee pursed her lips but said no more. “We should go. I have a truck. It’ll be a tight fit, but we’ll make it. And I’m driving.”

  ***

  The courtyard in front of the castle was teeming with elves, no longer suspiciously short to any of the teens. Jessie and Lester scooped up Sam and Amber, holding them for dear life. Tig had to look away, happy for their reunion, but uncomfortable with the jealous feelings it stirred in him.

  “I need to see my father right away,” Tig explained to Gelasius on the steps of the castle. Kestra stood next to him.

  “What are you doing here?” Gelasius looked past Tig.

  “I remember,” Kestra answered. Gelasius looked surprised for an instant and then recovered her composure.

  “Tickantus, take Prince Tigerious to see his father, please. I have something I need to attend to,” Gelasius said with strain in her voice.

  “I must accompany the boy,” Kestra said.

  “You will do as I say,” Gelasius said.

  “She saved our lives, Princess Gelasius,” Tig said. Gelasius raised an eyebrow but said nothing, so Tig continued. “Three different times. I trust her.”

  Gelasius was clearly not sure what to do. Finally, she came up with a compromise she could live with. “Tickantus, please find Naminee and Laux so they might accompany us.”

  Moments later Naminee and Laux appeared. Tig embraced Laux, thrilled to see his friend healthy again.

  “I have so much to tell you, Laux. I met them all, your family. Stayed in the Glade. You’ll never believe it,” he said. “I just have to see my father first.”

  “There will be plenty of time for stories. I’m sure all of Parnassus will want to hear about your journey,” Laux replied. “We can talk while we walk.” They climbed the stairs and Tig remembered the news he dreaded telling his friend. He wanted to see his father, but knew he had to tell Laux.

  “Hold on a sec. I need to tell you something,” Tig placed his hand on Laux’s arm.

  Laux turned to face him somberly. “Is it about my family?”

  “Yes. Your brother, Captain Drenaux, died. I’m so sorry, I don’t know how to tell you better.”

  Laux nodded but didn’t speak for several moments. When he did, his voice was lower than usual, “Thank you, Tig. It is indeed hard news, but I appreciate your forthrightness. How did it happen?”

  Tig explained the encounter with the demon, although he left out his own involvement in trying to heal Drenaux.

  “A good death. To die protecting one’s home,” Laux said finally.

  Tig had no response and they continued to Chey’s room. Tig wasn’t sure what to expect and was grateful that his father looked the same.

  “The princess has been tending to him daily,” Naminee explained.


  “Are you a healer?” Tig asked.

  “Yes, Tig. I'm not as strong as the elves of the generations gone by, but I am able to sustain my brother. I will do so for as long as I have strength.”

  Gelasius’s stance was rigid and Tig realized that she was colder to him than when they’d first met. He wondered if she felt guilty for her role in moving Parnassus out of Gaeland.

  “Thank you for keeping him alive, Aunt Gela.” As he hugged her, he felt much of the tension leave her body.

  “He is my brother and I love him. No matter our history,” she said defensively.

  “A wise man explained to me that people make hard decisions in hard times. I’m just glad to have my family,” Tig said.

  This earned him another hug from Gela. “You have your father’s kindness, Tigerious.”

  Tig walked over to the bed and placed his hands over his father’s chest.

  “That won’t work,” Kestra said.

  Tig gave her a confused look.

  “This magic is a malediction, a curse that twists Faerie, it cannot be healed. Only a witch can break that curse.”

  “How would you know this?” Tig asked.

  Gela interjected thoughtfully, as if answering a question she’d long had, “Because she’s a witch too.”

  Kestra showed Tig a seed roughly the size of a black olive.

  “What is that?” Tig asked, but Kestra gave a small shrug of her shoulders.

  “A powerful witch can twist Faerie with their foul magic,” Gela answered.

  Tig turned back to his father and held his hands in place again. He could see what looked like a black vine that had taken root in his father's chest and spread from there throughout his body. When he reached out for Faerie he was dismayed to find that the connection was faint. More critically, the vine did not respond to his touch. It was as if it was encoded to look like it belonged and was a natural part of his father’s body.

  “Would you help me?” Tig directed at Gela.

  “I don’t understand,” Gela said. “You are a healer?”

  “Yes, but she’s right, I can’t undo this,” he said.

  “No. You wouldn’t be able to. That is why the witches are so feared,” she said, looking darkly at Kestra.

  Kestra held the seed out to Tig. He reached out and took it.

  “Tig, I don’t think you should. It could kill him,” Gela said.

  “Kestra wouldn't do that," Tig said. "I've told you before. On three separate occasions she saved us at great risk to herself. The last time she had to have known she was going to die.”

  Tig lifted his father's body and tried to hold him upright. Gela rushed to the other side of the bed and helped to steady the unconscious man. When they opened his mouth Tig saw dark lines of the vine running along the inside of his cheeks. It was enough. He pressed the seed into his father's mouth and pushed his jaw closed.

  Very soon, the greyness of Chey's cheeks was replaced with a bright flush and his breathing evened out. Tig focused his mind’s eye, calling on Faerie to help him. He watched as the unnatural vines receded, unwinding and finally disappearing into nothing.

  Gela and Tig lay Chey back down on the pillows. After several minutes his eyes fluttered open and he looked around in surprise.

  “Dad!” Tig grabbed his father and hugged him. The sense of joy was almost too much to handle. Chey stroked his son’s hair until Tig released him. Tig climbed up onto the bed, grabbed his father’s hand and sat next to him.

  “Celia?” Chey asked.

  “No dad. That’s your sister, Gela.”

  Kestra stepped forward shaking her head in bewilderment. “Celia … That was me. It’s not a dream. I do remember you …”

  Tig asked incredulously, “Mom?”

  Chey held his free hand out and spoke in a shaky voice, “I thought we’d lost you forever.”

  Epilogue

  West Virginia

  Tig’s joy at Chey’s recovery was overshadowed by the return of the mother he'd never known. When Tig asked, Gelasius explained that Celia had suffered from what the elves considered a sickness. The end result was the victim transforming into a wyrdling. Little was known about these creatures as it only occurred once every several generations. Wyrdlings more closely heard the call of Faerie. It was unheard of for a wyrdling to recall its previous life, much less act on behalf of any individual. She warned of the difficulty that Chey and Tig would have in reestablishing any sort of relationship with Kestra. Whether wishful thinking or just plain old hubris, Tig chose not to believe his aunt’s words on the matter.

  Initially, Jessie and Lester were dead set against the idea of Amber and Sam returning to Gaeland. They tried on multiple occasions to enter the portal but found that no one from the generation that had abandoned Gaeland was allowed entry other than Kestra. In the end, however, they agreed that Sam and Amber’s newly discovered talents were destined for Gaeland and the promise of a family life under Marmy’s roof was enough security. The decision was made easier by the Parnassus family, who arranged to have Jessie and Lester relocate their ranch to a property adjacent to The Crux.

  It made for a few tense days when Tig explained to Gelasius that he’d signed an agreement with the gnomes of Castle Parnassus, turning the main castle over to them, though the Wizard’s Tower would remain the property of the Parnassus family. Tig explained that the agreement wasn’t substantially different from what was currently in place, but would allow the gnomes to thrive, instead of always wondering if they were about to be kicked out.

  In all, fifty of the next generation of Parnassus requested to be allowed passage through the portal, hoping to accompany the trio back to the Glade. Traux, the youngest son of Dauxal, had been first in line, to Amber’s great delight.

  Princess Gelasius and Prince Thetius had pressured Tig to set up the monarchy once again upon returning. Tig had listened to their reasoning but made no promises. He understood that the children of Faerie: elves, gnomes and even the goblins, needed a healer, but he wasn’t as convinced that anyone needed a king. What he did know, however, was that he couldn’t live separated from Faerie. Cities and castles would never be for him again.

  Finally, the day of departure arrived and the trio stood in front of the portal at The Crux and looked back to the gathered crowd. They’d chosen to leave in the late evening, which translated to morning in Gaeland. Amber held the reigns of her horse, Wild Grey, in her hand and Tig held the reigns to the massive Arabian, Cayenne, his Aunt Larissa had insisted he take.

  With hugs, goodbyes and tears behind them, the trio stepped through the portal into the bright sunshine of a warm spring day in Gaeland.

  Acknowledgments

  To Diane Greenwood Muir for excellence in editing and fine word-smithery. My wife, Janet, for carefully and kindly pointing out my poor grammatical habits. I cannot imagine working through these projects without you both.

  To my beta readers: Nancy Higgins Quist, Dave Muir, Carol Greenwood, Doris Nash, and Kelli Whyte for wonderful and thoughtful suggestions.

  And finally to Patricia Leonardo Cavalieri, cover artist of extraordinary talent.

  About the Author

  Jamie McFarlane is happily married, the father of three and lives in Lincoln, Nebraska. He spends his days engaged in a hi-tech career and his nights and weekends writing works of fiction. He’s also the author of:

  Privateer Tales Series

  Rookie Privateer

  Fool Me Once

  Parley

  Big Pete

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