Fractured Families (The Pearl of Wisdom Saga Book 2)

by Jason Paul Rice

  “Not matter what I want. I swore to die for the horn. Until I hold the horn, nothing matters what I want,” he said. Elisa took the horn from around her neck and tossed the object to the leader of the Prograggers. She looked straight into his eyes and asked again, “What do you want in life?”

  “We want what you have. We want what he have,” Green Mamba pointed to the Grizzly Bear. He went on, “We want be free man. To raise family and have wife. Now we go from war to war. All other men go to family and we to next battle. We fight to defend families but we make no families. We defend the holder of the horn but we don’t know person. You are first to hold horn and speak to me. All other only send men or blow horn and send us into battle with no eyes. I know battle and I know Prograggers. I can help to plan for war, not only fight. You have no fear in your face. I will gladly fight for strong woman like you. A queen name Elisa. But even a queen will not free Progragger. We understand.”

  “Understand this. I am the queen of Donegal. I make the rules of the land. I can offer you and all your men freedom after we win this war. From now on you will attend the war council meetings and advise Lord Ellsworth on the best way to employ your company of men, soon to be free men if we move quickly. This offer of freedom does come with one post battle stipulation, however.” Green Mamba gave her back the horn and asked, “And what is that?”

  The Ellsworths threw a masquerade ball to have one final happy day before the imminent sacrifices of the war effort. Lady Victoriah had told Elisa that it was alright to smile tonight. The Lion’s Hall had been decorated sparsely, with the tables removed. The guests wandered around the open room, socializing. Everyone was dressed to impress and Elisa marveled at some of the masks. Sparkling gold or silver masks dominated the scene, but some went much further in design. One lady had giant peacock feathers attached to her glittering red mask. Lord Raltonis had a golden mask with two hollowed, gilt apples around his eyes. Elisa and Lady Victoriah wore matching masks with a swirled pattern of black, bright purple and deep crimson.

  Elisa enjoyed trying to figure out who was behind every mask. She still didn’t know everyone’s name, but she remembered the favors they had asked and subsequent promises of support. All the worries of being queen melted away and Elisa relished the carefree party without an agenda. She danced with Darryg, who wore a mask dashed with crushed emeralds. Anderley and Ichibod sported simple gold masks and danced without enthusiasm before going to sit on the benches along the walls.

  Elisa got to play a game of hide-and-find around the crowded room. As she looked for Telly, she saw the Grizzly Bear in the corner with a giant goblet of apple mead and a near smile. She realized the people had forgotten the impending war and lost themselves in the night.

  Golden pitchers of warm, extra-spiked apple cider made their way to Elisa, and the drink perfectly accentuated the early fall atmosphere. Servers carried bite-sized morsels around the room on golden trays. Ground patties of lamb topped with sugar-plums paired with the cider danced in harmony on Elisa’s tongue. Thin strips of peacock were stuffed and rolled with tarragon flavored hen of the woods mushrooms. A drop of mulberry and black peppercorn sauce glazed the top of the roasted peacock. Tiny pigeon pies and roasted sturgeon squares with violet mustard seeds came next. The bite-sized apple pies, red velvet cake, white wine stewed apricots and raspberry layered sponge cake started the dessert portion of the night. The exquisite edible offerings were rounded off with golden spoons containing mouthfuls of clove spiced custard, apple and mint butter, vanilla scented cream with crushed fennel seed and lavender-apple jelly. About one hundred and fifty people danced or talked in small circles around the vast room. Darryg and Anderley began to wrestle as drunken brothers tend to do. Anderley stormed off after his younger brother got the best of him.

  Elisa sat down on a bench and touched the crown to make sure it was still there. Telly came up and said, “You’re not very good at this game, you know.” Amidst the night’s events, Elisa had forgotten she was supposed to be looking for Telly. “I know, I’ve always been bad at this game,” Elisa said. The girls used to play hide-and-find back around Arigold, and Telly was better at hiding than her older sister. “It’s been a strange, bloody summer,” Telly opined. “To say the least,” Elisa shouted over the increasing pounding of the drums. “We were already at the King’s Castle. Now you have to start a war to get back, so why didn’t we just stay there?” Telly asked. “Because we would be two dead bears if we had stayed. We would have been killed the same day as Ali-Ster.” She thought about how close she came to marrying Ali-Ster before the plan fell apart. She continued, “Nothing will ever be easy for us. From father beating us to having to fight for the throne, we will have to claw, like a bear. Now let’s enjoy this night,” Elisa said, and hugged Telly.

  Elisa had a great time at the ball before removing her mask and moving to the theater. The final puppet show to end the evening awaited the packed audience. The balconies were full, and Elisa squeezed in between Telly and Darryg. The drunken crowd witnessed a black bear puppet use a golden apple to subdue an albino puppet with a crown before eating the King. Lord Ichibod encouraged the rowdy audience to cheer wildly and everyone followed suit. After the short show, the guests filtered out and the Grizzly Bear escorted her to her apartments.

  The intoxicated Elisa asked, “What is it you want out of this?” “Out of what?” he responded. “When I become queen, what has Lord Ichibod promised you? It must be something good to be the personal guard of the queen,” she tried to entice him. “He promised me a good many things, but they all came with just one condition…,” She interrupted him, “And that is?”

  “I’m not allowed to discuss the conditions of the deal with you,” her guard revealed. “Well, if I become queen, I can offer you much more than him,” she warned. “If, that’s if you become queen. Lord Ichibod can pay regardless of whether we win or lose,” the Grizzly Bear argued.

  Elisa realized her fate depended on the fighting skills of men she didn’t even know. If they lost, she was nothing. Her father was dead and her mother had run off. Her claim to Burkeville seemed void and this war was her only hope for power. She shook off the thoughts of the war and focused on the fun memories of the night.

  MARIAH

  “So the pig says, well in that case, I’d rather be the horse’s ass,” Chopkins said, and everyone in the group laughed at the joke, except Callice. He didn’t appreciate Chopkins’ humor. Mariah enjoyed the jokes although some fed off vulgarity. “Bravo, you can curse, mighty impressive,” the singer chided. “Callice is the right name for you. You should move to Portown with your rosy attitude. At least I know more than ten jokes. If we have to suffer through “Oh goes the weary traveler” one more time, I will hang myself from the next available tree,” Chopkins returned. The singer cleared his voice, strummed his lyre and started to sing the song until Chopkins charged and tackled him. Torvald jumped in to stop the scuffle and screamed at both men, “Both of you settle right now. I won’t stand for this childish behavior when we near the castle.” Mariah imagined the two little men fighting like girls, had the skirmish continued. Neither man had any skill with a sword or knew how to fight.

  The group got back on their horses and continued toward the Colbert Castle of Riverfront. Only fifteen miles remained. Two knights of Bottomfoot trotted in the front on black stallions with banners of the silver ram’s head on a pale blue background. They had to wait for the pack mules and men carrying the gifts from Lucille, so they couldn’t ride fast. Five men carried large, heavy bags over each shoulder and lagged behind the mules. Two sets of brothers from the Tanner family and the new bastard knight leaned forward to steady the weight as they walked. The Tanner boys looked more like men, but were still in their teens. Sir William Ramsbee looked tiny compared to the strapping Tanners. Hygel, Leroye, Markys and Irvyne Tanner were all taller than Torvald. They hadn’t fully developed, but their frames were already quite sturdy. They all had thick, black hair and were already beardin
g. All of them also shared the unenviable beaver teeth of a Tanner man. With the nicknames Hammer, Anvil, Crusher and Stone Fist, nobody dared make fun of the Tanner boys to their faces. Mariah made certain Sir William got the lightest bags because of her soft spot for the gentlemanly knight.

  They moved along the marshy trail through the Lowland Forest. The near fall day provided a stiff breeze, ruffling Mariah’s ragged hair. She began to get nervous about seeing her father and family. Two hours ago Mariah had been sure her father would approve of Torvald, but doubt started to rear its ugly head. Mariah looked up at the majestic blue sky visible through the red and green leaves. She felt at home again.

  The group came to a clearing when they got about ten miles from the castle. Mariah saw a huge campsite, flying banners of families loyal to her father. There were flags with a boar’s head holding a war axe in its teeth, meaning House Kenzy had representation. To the left hung a banner of the Plast family, a diagonal sword intersected by a feathered quill.

  Mariah wondered what her father’s bannermen were doing camping around Mattingly. Maybe father is nervous and wants to have extra protection for the family now?

  She even saw the sigil of House Caughleigh indicated by the flying griffin gripping a salmon in its talons. The Caughleighs lived in Griffin Point, the farthest district from Riverfront. The sixteen-year-old Lord Bryan Caughleigh approached and bowed, “Lady Mariah, the heart of Mattingly beats once again upon your safe return.” She replied, “Thank you, Lord Bryan, I am sorry about the loss of your brother.”

  “When men fight, men get killed. I understand this, but my father hasn’t recovered from the King’s Ambush. He can’t even get out of bed anymore, citing lack of energy. He just mutters nonstop about Ryan and rolls around. Dwelling on the dead will make us just that in short order,” Lord Bryan told her.

  “Well, your father should know his son fought bravely and represented your family well. Your entire family should be proud of his effort. Apologies, Lord Bryan, but my group is desperate to get to our castle after our travels,” she said. “As you were, my lady. Give your father my regards. Tell him the Caughleighs will proudly serve in the vanguard,” Lord Bryan bowed. “I shall be certain to notify him,” Mariah told him. Vanguard? Are we waging war?

  Mariah and her companions went through another trail covered by forest until another opening emerged. More campsites of soldiers appeared with men sharpening swords and fitting pieces to their armor. Other men cooked skewered sausages over open flames. One man charred his directly on the embers. The intestine casing cracked so loud Mariah almost fell out of her saddle.

  Supporters of nearly every high lord in Mattingly were in Riverfront, gathered around the Colbert Castle. This particular area contained flags of House Embler and House Perry. The two houses were very close and helped Jasper Colbert during his rebellion to obtain their high lord positions. The mighty crab with legs extended represented the Tarkshins, and the Perry sigil was an open oyster shell with a sparkly pearl inside. Both districts lay on the east coast of Mattingly, a long way from Riverfront.

  Mariah had often marveled at how the people of Bottomfoot loved the Maliks, but she realized Mattingly was a special place too. She was glad that Torvald got to see how much the people of Mattingly respected the Colberts. They had stayed in two castles and were invited to stay in several others on their journey. Mariah rubbed the golden bull around her neck, and it made her think about Lucille. She already missed the nicest woman she had ever met. As they trotted up Knotshole Hill, the seven silver-capped towers of the Colbert Castle appeared. Mariah’s heart skipped a few beats and her mouth ran dry. She looked at her betrothed for support and found it in his confident brown eyes. He reached over from his horse and massaged the back of her neck with his powerful right hand, and some of the tension melted away. The hill leveled and Mariah could see the golden bull banners and flags. She also noticed a large gathering outside the main entrance to the castle. She knew word would reach Riverfront since they had stayed with families who kept in close contact with the Colberts. Her sore legs gripped the horse and rode up to her family and friends on the soft grass.

  Mariah thought she saw a spitting image of her mother holding an infant. Her chest became very tight and she started to see stars streaking around her eyes. The world went black for Mariah Colbert.

  Still dizzied, Mariah opened her eyes and looked up at some gray clouds that threatened rain. She didn’t know what had happened until she noticed everyone hovering over her. Torvald helped Mariah up and she saw the same figure. The woman spoke just like her mother, “Don’t feel bad, my dear, your father didn’t recognize me either.”

  “Who are you? Are you? Wait. What is happening?” Mariah fumbled through the words. Everyone had a chuckle until the woman said, “I am alive. I am your mother. A woman did die, yes, but she wasn’t I. Are you ready to meet your little brother, Jon?” Camelle handed Mariah the little bundle of joy. Mariah cried and profusely apologized to her mother for all the wrongs she had ever committed. She hugged Camelle and her new brother, weeping uncontrollably. Her mother finally calmed her down and reassured her there was no need to apologize for anything.

  Mariah had lost track of her travel group after seeing Ruxin and meeting his pregnant wife. Through all the commotion she had forgotten about one man. The blond man with a long goatee came up with tears in his eyes. “I wanted to surprise you, but I was the one surprised,” she said. Her father laughed and replied, “You did surprise me, my sweet girl.” Waterfalls of tears released as Jon Colbert held his daughter and newborn son. Mariah apologized to her father for any misbehavior over the years until he finally stopped his daughter. “You are the best surprise I could ever ask for. Don’t make yourself feel bad for insignificant events from the past. We are back together, that’s all that matters.” Jon finally relinquished his grip on his daughter. Mariah spotted a missing pinkie finger on her father. The entire crowd went into the main hall where a feast had been arranged to welcome Mariah and her guests.

  A-JON

  “Why are all these men at arms surrounding Riverfront?” Mariah asked. “Protection. There’s a new King and he has already raised cause for concern. Oh, my dear, I thought I got you killed back on the Royal Road due to my ill-advised judgement,” Jon replied. “It takes more than fifty Fox Chapel knights to kill a Colbert,” Mariah smiled. Jon kissed Mariah and hugged her once again.

  “How did you end up in Bottomfoot? Where was Brehan?” Jon questioned. “He went back to try to save you. He’s an honorary Colbert and they couldn’t kill him either,” Mariah answered. “I wish I had better news to tell you about your brothers. The King set quite a trap for us bulls but we will ride again, I can see,” Jon said.

  She showed her father the golden bull charm on her necklace. “The Maliks made this for me when we all thought you were… They are the nicest family and Torvald is wonderful. He rescued me in the woods and opened his beautiful castle to me, giving me everything I could ask for. I do hope you shall like him,” Mariah said. Jon saw a twinkle in his daughter’s eyes when she spoke about Torvald.

  “I’ll be sure to duly reward his family. I’ve heard the whispers of their generosity but we always left them to themselves, up in the mountains,” Jon said. “Duke Edword and Duchess Lucille sent gifts for the family. Duchess Lucille even sent a singer and sworn swords to protect me on the journey. There is Callice talking to the harpist right now,” Mariah happily stated. “How are singers supposed to protect you?” he asked. Mariah saw her father’s coy smile which started at the bottom of his copper-blond goatee and extended all the way up to his lively green eyes, full of hope again. Jon’s daughter drank some red from the Northern Groves of Hornspeak.

  For the first time, Jon didn’t see his little girl. By all rights of Donegal, she could marry at fourteen and was considered a flowered woman. The seventeen-year-old wore a dirty, wrinkled dress and scraggly hair to match. In the past, a dirty dress would have bothered Mariah, but she sto
od next to her father, happy as a lark. Only a little over a season had passed, but Jon noticed a marked change in his lovely daughter. Jon grabbed a piece off the wheel of buttermilk cheese fissured with blue veins, and smeared it onto a thin slice of smoked stag tongue. He nodded to the serving girl and she went to the next group with the tray. Jon devoured the tasty morsel and chased it down with the sweet red, providing a nice offset to the tart cheese and gamey stag. He closed his eyes to enjoy the moment. Jon thanked all seven Gods individually for this redemption. He never expected to be back with most of his family, eating and drinking such fine offerings, considering he was sucking the liquid running down a dungeon wall to survive.

  “Did you see your brother and hear his news?” Jon asked. “Yes, I am so happy for Ruxin and his lovely bride,” she replied. A man with lumberjack shoulders and a thin beard which could have been painted on, stood behind his daughter, framing her slender body. Thick, short cropped jet hair looked like a dark helm, covering his head. The young man, who looked to be Mariah’s age, seemed nervous and fidgeted with the silver ram pin secured to his lace-tied leather doublet.

  “Well father, that’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. May I introduce Torvald of House Malik, the trueborn son of Edword and Lucille…” Her father stopped her, “We have met. When you were scraping yourself off the ground at the main gate, we were introduced. I am in your debt, Lord Torvald, that is certain. Name what you wish and I will see to make it so,” Jon promised. “I would like to request a few words in seclusion to hash this out before the main courses start,” Torvald said.