Ben shook his head in quiet awe. Victor could go anywhere, and they’d be scrambling to figure out which location. This would be beyond challenging.
“Victor is a phantom.” Brandon warned. “When I first saw him in the citadel, twenty years ago, he had a ponytail, a suit, and looked like a respectable shopkeeper. Now he’s bald with an earring and worn clothing. Even his gait changed, though that may be because of time. The only real way to know it’s him is in the eyes.”
Ben hummed in agreement before clearing his throat to speak up. “It’s true. I was on a mission with Victor earlier this year, and he had some solid tips for blending in with the crowd. He’s going to be hard to find.” Ben fell silent, resentment at being fooled by Victor burning in his blood.
Finn shrugged. “Maybe so, but we need to find him before he can do anything else.”
“Do you think he would try anything against the royal family?” Garnet raised her eyes to look at Brandon. She swallowed hard, and her fingers traced her neck. “Would he attempt to finish off the Doldras line?”
Zebediah sighed heavily and leaned back, his chair creaking under him in protest. “Who knows?”
Brandon took a sip from his mug and set it down with a quiet tap. “Rumors are already abounding about Ade—about Jade being alive. I’m not going to take up the crown.” He crossed his arms and tilted his head. “I’ll acknowledge Jade as my heir, when the nobles and people demand action, but the leader they’re going to want isn’t me.”
“She makes her own choices,” Zak all but growled, his eyes glowing with green ire. He leaned into Brandon’s space and stabbed the table with a finger. “If she’s to be heir, that’s something she decides, not anyone else for her. And she doesn’t want anything to do with you.”
“And if neither of us holds the throne, what then for you Monomi?” Brandon returned, his tone as harsh as his eyes. “If Everett stays in power, the lives of all the Monomi are forfeit. You raised weapons against the governor. You didn’t just break the treaty—you completely shattered it. Do you want all your family and people to die?” He gestured to Zandra, whose face had paled, though her eyes remained sharp and focused. “Aren’t you an uncle, by now? What about your nieces and nephews, your cousins, your brethren?”
Garnet held her hands out over the table, as if she could keep the two men separated. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
“What’s the condition of the keystone?” Ben called out. He took a quick swig of his ale before it could warm too much, and shot Garnet a small grin when she mouthed “thank you.”
The stiffness in Zak’s spine softened just a smidge, and Brandon’s glare eased.
Finn’s lips twitched as he inclined his head to Ben. “It has been fully restored.” Finn paused for the quiet sighs of relief to die down. He held out a hand to squeeze Garnet’s fingers. “We wouldn’t have been able to do so, if it wasn’t for Slate’s help. We needed both the lodestone ring and the bloodstone to accomplish the work.”
“It’s fully restored?” Zak echoed, wonderment erasing his face of all traces of bitterness. “How?”
Finn sat back and wove his fingers together. “The keystone needed to be weakened for us to accurately restore it.” He thumped his hands against the stack of papers. “Think of it like this: if a bone is broken, and it is allowed to heal without being set, it can work, but it won’t work properly, won’t be as strong as it could be. It needs to be re-broken and set in place for it to heal as it should. Still using that analogy, the bloodstone allowed us to re-break the keystone, and the ring allowed us to set and heal it.”
Brandon picked at his nails and shot Finn a sharp look. “I’ve been wondering about something. How do you know all this—how to do it? You’re more than just an herbalist. You’re a remarkable healer and mani-med. I know this, personally, when…” his voice trailed off and he coughed, then continued, “You know so much about the keystone and barrier. How? Who are you?”
Finn’s gaze traveled from the table to the unlit hearth in the corner of the room, and he was silent for so long that Ben wondered if Finn intended to answer the question.
Finn sighed. “I was the apprentice of Sage Randall Silvers. He had been apprenticed to—”
“Sage Flint.” Zebediah nodded in what looked like sudden understanding. “He was one of the sages who disappeared after they erected the barrier.” Respect shone in his eyes. “It makes perfect sense now.”
“Ah, yes. Exactly.” A small smile crossed Finn’s lips and he looked at Raine, then around the table. “The question is what we will each do now.” He thumbed through the papers before him, and unbuttoned his cuffs to roll his sleeves to his forearms. “Raine and I need to find Victor. The bloodstone will need to be recharged before he can use it again.” Finn drummed his fingertips against the table. “I suspect that Lucio will be able to do this for him. And if that happens, they’d be able to take down the barrier from any of the keystones. We can’t allow that to happen.”
Zebediah folded his arms. “We will stay and see how the political climate here changes. Assuming our lives aren’t immediately forfeit for standing against Bentley, we will remain to guard the citadel.” He looked past Brandon to Zak. “We will send Zak to go wherever Jade goes, of course.”
Zandra coughed.
Garnet nodded from next to Ben. “As will I. She has a long road of physical recovery ahead of her, along with whatever life decisions she will be called on to make.” Garnet cleared her throat and turned her face away as she lifted a hand to her eyes. “And we should stay together while we grieve my brother.”
Zebediah slipped Garnet a deep purple handkerchief that she accepted with a barely audible “thanks.”
Brandon closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. “Assuming I get released from Monomi custody—which will likely be dependent on the people’s good graces of how much authority the Monomi keep—I think I’d like to join you on your search, Finn. There’s nothing for me here right now.” Brandon sighed and looked to the ceiling. Something in his haunted gaze hinted at the man of nobility that he used to be. He dipped his head down, letting his chopped hair cover his eyes. “Jaxton did something to my mind, and I suspect you’re the only one with the skill needed to help heal me.”
Finn rubbed a hand against his chin as he studied Brandon with narrowed eyes. “I suspect you could be right.” He nodded once. “You’d be welcome to join us.”
“Thank you.” Brandon swallowed hard. “I need to find myself before I hurt my daughter again.”
Heads turned toward Ben, and he rapped his knuckles against the table as he stared at the polished wood, weighing his options. He had no idea where Earth was, but that’s where Sara was, and he had to find a way to return to her. He hadn’t broken any promises to his sister yet, and he wasn’t going to start now.
But what could he say to the group right now? The guy in the store that he and Briar had first stopped at ages ago had panicked at just the sight of Ben’s dog tags. He clearly knew something, and had practically begged Ben to leave. Thus far, Ben had no idea what made someone a Void Born, but knowing how much hate and fear they got, it probably wasn’t wise for Ben to suddenly announce, “Hey guys, I’m pretty sure I lived in another world and probably died there because of a grenade, and now I’m here and want to go back. Does that make me a Void Born or something?” Who knew what they’d do to a flesh-and-blood ghost?
Ben rubbed the shiny wood of the tabletop as he thought. He needed to find answers, and without giving himself away as someone, or even something, that didn’t belong here. He leaned back in the chair and looked around the table. These people had taken him in, gotten him on his feet, and proved to be friends when he had none. How could he abandon them, now that they were hurting and in such desperate straits? He touched the dog tags and ring hidden under his shirt. He couldn’t abandon Sara.
“Ben?” Garnet prompted. “What do you think you’re going to do at this point? Continue traveling, even if th
e Phoenix isn’t flying?”
Unbidden, the memory of Victor teaching him how to properly use the grappling hook gauntlet floated to the surface of his mind: Victor cocked the spring in the wrist of the gauntlet and aimed it across the deck to a board they’d set up. “You should never have to ask for loyalty out of a man.” He shot, and wood splintered as the hook embedded itself. Victor turned to face Ben with an odd half smile. “Either they’re with you, or they aren’t.”
Victor proved that he hadn’t been with them at all, and Captain Slate had been the one to pay the price.
A plan clicked in Ben’s mind. There was a way to help the Sapphire crew and the Monomi, as well as let him search for answers to get home.
“I’ll travel with Finn and Raine.” Ben clasped his hands and leaned over the table. “I want to hunt down Victor.”
Epilogue
Everett
High Lord Everett Windsor smiled as the brunette beauty sashayed to him across his private chambers. Her sheer dressing gown left little to the imagination, and he stirred when she knelt before him.
It was beyond pleasurable to be the most powerful ruler.
A knock sounded from the door, and she stopped, looking up at him with a question in her eyes. He flicked his hand and she stood, backing away with a bow.
The interruption sounded again, and Everett trembled as anger replaced the satisfaction that had been pounding through his veins. He snatched his robe from the sandalwood-scented bed and shoved his hands through the sleeves, yanking it shut and tying it before flinging the door open.
“I told you I was not to be disturbed,” Everett snapped at his guards. “What is it?” Motion caught his eye, and he frowned as Bentley slunk forward, head bent and palms up.
Bentley bowed deeply, his blond hair swinging forward and covering his ears. “My lord, I need to speak with you, immediately.”
Curiosity allowed Everett to nod, but irritation made him slam the door as Bentley entered his chamber.
“You may stand right there,” Everett ordered, pointing to the large tile by the door. He strode to his bed and pulled back part of the velvet curtain, revealing the bare legs of his current mistress. “Go to my bathing room. We’re not finished.”
She slipped out of the bed, clutching a sheet around her shoulders and curvaceous body while she scurried to the adjoining bathing chamber. Everett snapped his fingers to draw Bentley’s eyes back to himself and away from his mistress.
Bentley cleared his throat and bowed again, freezing halfway down, and staying low. “My apologies for interrupting your—”
“Just tell me what news you have that’s so urgent.”
Bentley rose. Fear and anger blended in his eyes. “Princess Adeline survived.”
Icy rage slid through Everett, and he gripped the sash of his bathrobe. “Did she, now? Tell me how that mistake was made. Is the barrier fixed?”
Bentley fiddled with the hem of his gray jacket and pressed his lips together. “She was critically injured, but survived.” Bentley’s tongue flicked out to lick his lips. “Many in the city have remained loyal to the Doldras family, and came to her aide. The Monomi included.” He dipped his head. “I’m not sure about the keystone. The barrier had colors in it that I’ve never seen before, and the ground shook frequently. I left immediately after to inform you as quickly as possible.”
Incompetent fool.
“I want that keystone fixed!” Everett raged, his hands fisted. He turned on his heel and marched across the soft rug before turning back, rubbing his temples. He needed a massage after this. “If that barrier goes down, my power is severely threatened. Fix. It. And that Doldran princess is a lingering plague. Eradicate it. I won’t tolerate another failure.”
Bentley’s face paled while he nodded and bowed. “Yes, my lord.”
Everett snapped his fingers as a new thought occurred to him. Bentley froze again. Everett stroked his chin as he considered, turning the idea over in his mind before speaking. “Return to Doldra. Do whatever you need to convince the plague to come here. I will greet her as the royalty she is, and I’ll deal with her myself. I can use this to my political advantage.”
“And if she refuses, sire?”
Everett rolled his eyes. “Then—oh, well. Do what you must to either get her to agree and come here, or finish her off yourself. And deal with the Monomi problem, while you’re at it. We can’t have a whole clan going back on their word, now, can we?”
“No, sir.”
“I’m glad we have this understanding.” Everett twitched his hand to the door and waited for Bentley to leave before he ground his teeth. Expendable fool has lost his worth to me. Everett paced in his chamber. He would need to contact his spy to learn more about Bentley’s failure and what exactly had happened in Doldra. If the barrier had been weakened instead of strengthened, he’d have to marshal his forces, and before the other nobles of Aerugo scented blood. Marrying Doldra’s queen had been politically advantageous, but if the true heir to Doldra’s throne was to suddenly appear, those advantages would all crumble away. Unless there was a way to guarantee his family’s ties to the Doldras bloodline. War always brought about uncertainty, and Everett wouldn’t risk some ill-conceived and ill-timed threat against his throne while facing an inevitable invasion.
And if the nobles were to hear about this Doldran princess first? She’ll be married into our family or dead before they hear her name. The Monomi would be a pain to eradicate, but threats had to be eliminated. Business was business, after all.
Everett growled and stomped toward the bathing chamber. He needed a diversion from this frustrating development.
As long as the keystone was fixed, the Monomi taken care of, Bentley’s incompetence replaced, and the Doldran princess brought to heel before the leaders’ summit, Everett had nothing to fear.
To be continued in Void Born
Autumn 2018
Renegade Skyfarer Register
Ash – Dragon hunter on the Sapphire
Ethan Bentley – Governor over Doldra in Everett’s stead
James Brigley – Family friend of the Stohners, ensign in the Doldra military police
Andre Catalina – Bodyguard and advisor to Prince Weston
Krista Cedrus – Mechanic on the Sapphire
William Cedrus – Shipwright of the Sapphire, father to Krista
Adeline Doldras – Princess of Doldra, deceased
Brandon Doldras – Prince of Doldra, deceased
Sapphire Doldras – Wife to Brandon, deceased
Victor Kalende – First mate on the Sapphire
Keene – Navigator on the Phoenix
Kerlee – Dragon hunter on the Sapphire
Esther Monomi – Wife to Zebediah
Zaborah Monomi – Third eldest of Zak’s siblings
Zak Monomi – Combat Medic and Security Officer on the Sapphire
Zandra Monomi – Second eldest of Zak’s siblings
Zane Monomi – Eldest of Zak’s siblings, deceased
Zebediah Monomi – Leader of the Monomi Clan
Nevin – Bentley’s right-hand man
Briar Sasperil – Chef on the Sapphire
Schultz – Doctor on the Phoenix
Steban – Shipwright of the Phoenix
Elinora Stohner – Head of Stohner Shipping Yards, Garnet and Slate’s mother
Garnet Stohner – Chief Liaison/Communications, Slate’s twin sister
Jade Stohner – Mechanic on the Sapphire
Samantha Stohner – Captain of the Phoenix, wife to Slate, mother to Jade
Slate Stohner – Captain of the Sapphire, husband to Samantha, father to Jade
Jaxton Taylor – Doctor on the Sapphire
Samuel Thistle – Advisor and uncle to Queen Violet
Everett Windsor – Ruler of Aerugo and Proxy Ruler of Doldra
Violet Windsor – Queen of Doldra and Aerugo
Weston Windsor – Prince of Doldra and Aerugo
Michael Worthingto
n – Mechanic on the Phoenix, husband to Rebecca Worthington
Rebecca Worthington – First mate on the Phoenix, sister to Samantha Stohner
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Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Renegade Skyfarer Page 36